Chemical agent supply device and chemical agent supply method

Abstract

A drug supply device includes: a plurality of cassettes configured to eject a drug one by one; and a control device configured to set a plurality of groups including a plurality of cassettes selected from among the plurality of cassettes. The control device selects a cassette that performs a drug ejection operation from each of the plurality of groups such that a number of tablets of a drug to be ejected from the plurality of cassettes that perform the drug ejection operation is each levelled in one of the plurality of group and among the plurality of groups.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . A drug supply device comprising:
 a plurality of cassettes configured to eject a drug one by one, wherein the plurality of cassettes comprises a plurality of groups, each of the plurality of groups includes one or more cassettes, each of the plurality groups is configured to eject one type of drug, and the plurality of groups are configured to eject different types of drugs from each other;   a plurality of shelves storing the plurality of cassettes; and   a control device,   wherein the control device includes a program and a memory storing the program, when a medical prescription is input to the drug supply device, the control device is configured, by executing the program, to:
 allocate cassettes for each drug in the medical prescription, and 
 input the medical prescription to an information table generated by the executed program, 
   wherein the medical prescription includes drug names and number of tablets of each drug,   wherein the information table generated by the executed program includes the drug names in the medical prescription, the number of tablets of each drug in the medical prescription, group number of each drug in the medical prescription, maximum number of cassettes for each drug in the medical prescription, number of allocated cassettes of each drug in the medical prescription, and an average value of tablets of each drug ejected by each of the allocated cassettes,   wherein in the information table, the number of allocated cassettes of each drug in the medical prescription is preset as 1 and the average value of tablets of each drug ejected by each of the allocated cassettes is the number of tablets of each drug in the medical prescription divided by the number of allocated cassettes of the corresponding drug in the medical prescription, and   wherein the control device is configured, by executing the program, to execute:
 step (1) calculating the average value of tablets of each drug ejected by each of the allocated cassettes; and 
 step (2) sorting the plurality of groups in a descending order of the average value of tablets of each drug ejected by each of the allocated cassettes in the information table, such that first group in the information table has the largest average value of tablets among the plurality of groups. 
   
     
     
         2 . The drug supply device according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a collection part disposed below the plurality of shelves and configured to collect the drugs ejected from the cassettes.   
     
     
         3 . The drug supply device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the control device is configured, by executing the program, to execute step (3) determining whether the number of allocated cassettes in the first group is smaller than the maximum number of cassettes for the first group,   if the number of allocated cassettes in the first group is smaller than the maximum number of cassettes for the first group, the control device is configured, by executing the program, to execute:
 step (4) increasing the number of allocated cassettes in the first group by 1, 
 step (5) calculating the average value of tablets of the first group, and 
 step (6) determining whether a total number of allocated cassettes for all drugs in the medical prescription is smaller than a number of usable cassettes, wherein the number of usable cassettes is the cassettes available for use for all drugs in the medical prescription, if the total number of allocated cassettes for all drugs in the medical prescription is smaller than the number of usable cassettes, the control device is configured, by executing the program, to repeat step (2), step (3), step (4), step (5) and step (6), until the number of allocated cassettes in the first group is not smaller than the maximum number of cassettes for the first group or the total number of allocated cassettes for all drugs in the medical prescription is not smaller than the number of usable cassettes. 
   
     
     
         4 . The drug supply device according to  claim 3 , wherein when the number of allocated cassettes in the first group is not smaller than the maximum number of cassettes for the first group and the total number of allocated cassettes for all drugs in the medical prescription is smaller than the number of usable cassettes, the control device is configured, by executing the program, to execute step (7) determining whether a number of allocated cassettes in a next group is smaller than a maximum number of cassettes for the next group,
 if the number of allocated cassettes in the next group is smaller than the maximum number of cassettes for the next group, the control device is configured, by executing the program, to execute:
 step (8) increasing the number of allocated cassettes in the next group by 1, 
 step (9) calculating the average value of tablets of the next group, and 
 step (10) determining whether a total number of allocated cassettes for all drugs in the medical prescription is smaller than the number of usable cassettes, 
   if the total number of allocated cassettes for all drugs in the medical prescription is smaller than the number of usable cassettes,   the control device is configured, by executing the program, to repeat step (2), step (3), step (4), step (5) and step (6), until the number of allocated cassettes for each of the plurality of groups is not smaller than the maximum number of cassettes or the total number of allocated cassettes for all drugs in the medical prescription is not smaller than the number of usable cassettes.   
     
     
         5 . The drug supply device according to  claim 4 , wherein when the number of allocated cassettes for each of the plurality of groups is not smaller than the maximum number of cassettes or the total number of allocated cassettes for all drugs in the medical prescription is not smaller than the number of usable cassettes whichever is satisfied first, the control device is configured, by executing the program, to terminate allocating cassettes for each drug in the medical prescription. 
     
     
         6 . A drug supply method comprising:
 step (i) receiving information, by a control device, with respect to drugs to be packaged, wherein the information comprises a medical prescription including drug names and number of tablets of each drug; and   step (ii) grouping a plurality of cassettes to be used into a plurality of groups based on the information by the control device, wherein each of the plurality of groups includes one or more cassettes, each of the plurality groups is configured to eject one type of drug, the plurality of groups are configured to eject different types of drugs from each other, and each of the plurality of cassettes are configured to eject the corresponding drug one by one,   wherein the control device includes a program and a memory storing the program,   wherein the step (ii) grouping a plurality of cassettes to be used into a plurality of groups includes:
 step (a) allocating cassettes for each drug in the medical prescription; 
 step (b) inputting the medical prescription to an information table generated by the program; 
 step (1) calculating an average value of tablets of each drug ejected by each of the allocated cassettes; and 
 step (2) sorting the plurality of groups in a descending order of the average value of tablets of each drug ejected by each of the allocated cassettes in the information table, such that first group in the information table has the largest average value of tablets among the plurality of groups, 
   wherein the information table generated by the program includes the drug names in the medical prescription, the number of tablets of each drug in the medical prescription, group number of each drug in the medical prescription, maximum number of cassettes for each drug in the medical prescription, number of allocated cassettes of each drug in the medical prescription, and the average value of tablets of each drug ejected by each of the allocated cassettes.   
     
     
         7 . The drug supply method according to  claim 6 , wherein the step (ii) grouping a plurality of cassettes to be used into a plurality of groups includes:
 step (3) determining whether the number of allocated cassettes in the first group is smaller than the maximum number of cassettes for the first group,   if the number of allocated cassettes in the first group is smaller than the maximum number of cassettes for the first group, the step (ii) grouping a plurality of cassettes to be used into a plurality of groups further includes:
 step (4) increasing the number of allocated cassettes in the first group by 1; 
 step (5) calculating the average value of tablets of the first group; and 
 step (6) determining whether a total number of allocated cassettes for all drugs in the medical prescription is smaller than a number of usable cassettes, wherein the number of usable cassettes is the cassettes available for use for all drugs in the medical prescription, 
   if the total number of allocated cassettes for all drugs in the medical prescription is smaller than the number of usable cassettes, repeating step (2), step (3), step (4), step (5) and step (6), until the number of allocated cassettes in the first group is not smaller than the maximum number of cassettes for the first group or the total number of allocated cassettes for all drugs in the medical prescription is not smaller than the number of usable cassettes.   
     
     
         8 . The drug supply method according to  claim 7 , wherein when the number of allocated cassettes in the first group is not smaller than the maximum number of cassettes for the first group and the total number of allocated cassettes for all drugs in the medical prescription is smaller than the number of usable cassettes, the step (ii) grouping a plurality of cassettes to be used into a plurality of groups further includes:
 step (7) determining whether a number of allocated cassettes in a next group is smaller than a maximum number of cassettes for the next group,   if the number of allocated cassettes in the next group is smaller than the maximum number of cassettes for the next group, the step (ii) grouping a plurality of cassettes to be used into a plurality of groups further includes:   step (8) increasing the number of allocated cassettes in the next group by 1;   step (9) calculating the average value of tablets of the next group; and   step (10) determining whether a total number of allocated cassettes for all drugs in the medical prescription is smaller than the number of usable cassettes,   if the total number of allocated cassettes for all drugs in the medical prescription is smaller than the number of usable cassettes, the step (ii) grouping a plurality of cassettes to be used into a plurality of groups further includes:   repeating step (2), step (3), step (4), step (5) and step (6), until the number of allocated cassettes for each of the plurality of groups is not smaller than the maximum number of cassettes or the total number of allocated cassettes for all drugs in the medical prescription is not smaller than the number of usable cassettes.   
     
     
         9 . The drug supply method according to  claim 8 , comprising:
 terminating allocating cassettes for each drug in the medical prescription, when the number of allocated cassettes for each of the plurality of groups is not smaller than the maximum number of cassettes or the total number of allocated cassettes for all drugs in the medical prescription is not smaller than the number of usable cassettes whichever is satisfied first.